“A shitshow… You guys deserved this.” Those were Daniel Ricciardo’s thoughts on his collision with Max Verstappen during the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the year he quit Red Bull.
The Australian admitted the team’s handling of that notorious clash had contributed to his decision to leave. The pair had twice banged wheels throughout the race, before inevitably colliding for a third time on lap 40, wiping out both drivers as Verstappen attempted to pass his team mate into turn one. The team reprimanded both drivers, but Ricciardo was left with a bitter taste in his mouth which seemingly no amount of energy drink could wash down.
Ricciardo had led his new team mate during their first season together at Red Bull in 2016, but it was no secret Verstappen was on an upward trend. The gap narrowed in 2017. By 2018 it seemed Verstappen was increasingly making the team his own as he pursued his dream to become a world champion.
Nonetheless Ricciardo ended his near-three-year stint alongside Verstappen with 457 points compared to his team mate’s 377. Ricciardo took 18 podiums to Verstappen’s 11, with the pair equal on wins with three apiece. But from Verstappen’s history-making start to his Red Bull career by becoming the youngest-ever winning driver on his debut from them it felt as if he, not Ricciardo, represented the team’s future.
Not long after the Baku clash, Ricciardo made one of the biggest decisions of his life. He left Red Bull, taking a huge gamble by signing for Renault. Four years later, he is heading back to them. It seems the gamble failed, but why?
After initially struggling with the Renault in 2019, Ricciardo finished ninth in the standings with 54 points. More promise came in 2020 when Ricciardo finished fifth in the standings with 119 points. But before that second season even began, Ricciardo had already thrown his lot in with another team.
McLaren made huge strides under new management in 2019. With Carlos Sainz Jnr moving to Ferrari for 2021, a vacancy opened which Ricciardo pounced on, much to the irritation of Renault team principal Cyril Abiteboul.
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He arrived at McLaren off the back of a strong 2020 campaign. But from the outset he simply did not click with their car. He was out-scored by team mate Lando Norris despite leading him home in a one-two finish for the team at Monza.
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